Living in Venice

Living in Venice. Venice is certainly a city with different rhythms compared to any other conurbation. Obviously the difference lies in the absence of motorcars and in a mobility that relies exclusively on walking or on water transport. You might think that the city is consequently slower, but this is only a half-truth. Every day thousands of people who work, move and meet.

A visit to the Rialto market is interesting. Ever since ancient times (and the names of the restaurants and bars you meet along the way recall this past) the Rialto market (fruit, vegetables, fish, cheese, meat and salami) has been the dynamic centre of the city. Every day thousands of people buy the products for their lunch and dinner in one of Venice's most ancient locations.But if during the day Rialto is a real open-air commercial area, in the evening it turns into a venue for meeting people and for entertainment. A rich and varied assortment of bars, taverns, wine bars in the Rialto area, make it the real centre of nightlife. Try the 'Spritz', the typical pre-dinner aperitif or a drink that can be taken when meeting people at any time during the day.

But Rialto isn ’t the only nightlife venue, Santa Margherita and Cannaregio are other areas for evening and night time entertainment. Here there is a high concentration of clubs and bars, allowing everybody to choose according to their own particular style and taste.

And of course we cannot forget a romantic night time stroll leading to one of the bars in St Mark ’s Square. Even if these are certainly more expensive than most of the other places you will find along the way, they allow you to sit in one of the most beautiful gathering places in the world, accompanied by the music of the many orchestras that play in nearly all the bars.

And mentioning music, in many of Venice’s cafes and bars you can hear excellent music, of all types and for all tastes. In some of these venues music is scheduled for aperitif time (from about seven to half past eight in the evening), others instead organise musical evenings after dinner.

For theatre lovers the programmes of the Goldoni Theatre, of the Malibran Theatre and of other smaller theatres specialised in avant-garde and Commedia dell ’Arte, will certainly have the show that suit your taste.

Opera lovers must not miss an evening at La Fenice opera house. La Fenice was completely rebuilt after the terrible fire of a few years ago and the theatre itself is without doubt a showpiece, for its fine architecture and the splendour of its decorations, as well as for its programme of classical music and opera.

And for whoever wishes to try their luck, the Casino represents an excellent occasion to have a go. The Venice Casino is housed in an ancient noble palace on the Grand Canal. So it is valuable both from a historical point of view and maybe also for your finances!